Growing up playing sports but also as a low-income household athlete was extremely hard. Having the mindset to continue on and strive for greatness in a sport where the cost is the biggest insecurity for most; caused much stress and hardships. The heavy cost of figure skating is something everybody who joins must take into consideration in whether or not you can continue to skate. Lower-income households and children's families should all have the opportunity to figure skate, to learn to skate, and to continue on figure skating if that is their true calling to do so. Wanting to continue, but not having the means or financial stability to continue was a rough battle my family and I had to fight. Every practice was earned and every competition, or test was challenging myself for the next season to prepare myself to contour to fight for the sports that I love. Even though my family and I have not always been in the right area or stable means for me to be able to continue doing my sport, my family always tried to provide for me. Figure skating, as a whole is full of kind challenges and extremely pricey items. To want to have the best equipment but also have enough money to continue skating, and to attend every event is stressful and hard. Having to skip a whole season of a sport is not something I would ever wish onto someone. Playing a sport at the same time as always attending school and taking care of family and home matters is also another responsibility inside itself. To skate, to school, to taking care of my at-home duties was a challenge. I still have this challenge everyday, every week, and every month. Growing up figure skating was a “bragging right”, until we could no longer afford the simple things in that sports. To be humble and to have humility in your sport along with good sportsmanship was something I have come to know and learn very well. This scholarship would advance my learning capabilities, outside educational activities, and much more that goes with perserverving and continuing on even when we are not at our right means to do so. Every child, adult, and athlete should have the same opportunity and right to continue doing their sport that they love and live for, even if they are at a rough patch in time where they do not think that they can continue playing the sport because of financial issues; and I would never wish that upon any family or athlete.

My top three Billie Eilish songs would have to be 'Getting Older' from the album Happier Than Ever, 'THE GREATEST' from the album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, and lastly 'Not My Responsibility' from the album Happier Than Ever. Firstly, the song 'Getting Older' is one of the most meaningful songs that Billie has ever written because of how deep the meaning has on listeners and myself. My perception of this song's meaning may be that when you are younger, you will eventually get tired of and become bored of things you once enjoyed and liked to do and explore. This meaning can go for many different things, whether getting tired of an activity that you used to love, to a person or a friend that you were super close to that drifted away from you, or so many other things. For me, this song's meaning would have to personally do with all of the things that I used to love doing and places that were like my second home, that are now forgotten and are considered an annoyance to me. In this song, Billie talks about how the people she had when she was younger are not there anymore by her side like they promised to be, which resonates with me and my experiences very well. Secondly, the song 'THE GREATEST' may be my favorite Billie Eilish song of all time because of how beautiful the melody and the chords are. But the words truly dive a dagger into my heart, as in the song Billie talks about how the love she had for someone was not reciprocated back to her in the same strength that she had provided for the other person. I would say that this song resonates with me because of how hard she tries for someone who could care less about her and doesn't appreciate all of the effort that she had previously put into them. This song 'THE GREATEST' is very sarcastic as she asks the listener 'Aren't I the greatest' essentially says that she has tried too hard and become the best of the best, just for there to be nothing in return. Lastly, the song 'Not My Responsibility' isn't a song, but more of a story that Billie tells; as this song talks about how everything that women may do in her life is cruelly judged and they are criticized for what they do. No matter how large or small the issue is at hand, women are looked at differently for better or for worse. In this song 'Not My Responsibility' she is also talking about the harsh reality that most women in today's world are highly sexualized including teenage girls. Which I feel the most connected to, always having to look out for the things that I wear, and the things that I say. I have to almost monitor everything that I do, like I'm watching myself and my life play out on a screen in front of me waiting to see what I do next, to see the attack and punishment that's thrown upon me. Along with me and many other teenage girls and guys can relate to all three of these amazingly, beautiful, and highly resonant songs. These songs are just three of Billie Eilish's best pieces of music, you could even consider them art with the message that she is trying to appeal to us listening. These songs are truly something that I can relate to fully, and resonate with deep down inside of me.

I think that it is important that we work harder and better to try to understand this vast universe how everything works and what happens inside and out of everything that exists ever. I think we should try to accomplish to understand the nature of our universe because it could provide us with a higher knowledge of what everything is used for and how we can use our knowledge to use things for other reasons and purposes. If we learn new things and how to use things more accurately with more purpose we can create extraordinary things that could change the rest of the universe forever, good or worse. Knowing that we have not even nearly scraped the surface of what we know about our large void of a universe makes me want to explore and try to explain the meaning behind everything and why things happen, how they work, what they are missing, and what I could do to improve them to make them better. I feel that everyone should have some sort of curiosity about what our universe may be missing and we could strive to achieve that mission to create what we believe as people is missing from this universe. Every discovery and every newly found creation is adding more and more to this universe we have now. Every second things change and things happen that we cannot even explain and if we try to narrow it down to questions. We can start to question reality and why the universe is the way that it is and will all our might try to do something about it, whether we can or cannot change the outcome of fate in the universe. If we work harder, longer, and better to try to see why the universe is the way it is we can find more new things along the way like any trip the destination is not the goal, and the main part is what you find and discover along the way. The road to new creations is eager people who want to understand things and curious people who are always open to new ideas and have open minds to see new things and different sides of opinions and listen and consider everything no matter out normal or 'outrageous' it may be. Some ideas and concepts that I hope to employ and think about to complete this mission would be for me and others to always have an open mind and never doubt anything that comes around and always consider all sides and angles of a story or a phenomenon. Another concept I hope to take on to have more of an idea of this universe would be to ask more questions to figure out what happened, why it happened, why things work, how they work, where they come from, what they bloom or sprout from, was it something bigger we don't quite know about yet? Or did it come from a smaller source that people have overlooked for years and years? I would want to always know that questions, and question the probability of anything and everything, which could add that anything in the whole universe and world is possible and could be explored and questioned. I would love to question everything and then question those questions. The idea of perspective could also help me take on this challenging task of trying to understand our universe by making sure I can comprehend and see the vision of every angle, and side, story, and being able to question every question. Curiosity would also be an idea I am open to. With curiosity, I can ask any question, question that question, and maybe half answer it but not fully until I look more into what I would want to answer and see. Ambition is also another concept that I would have to embody to take on this understanding of this vast universe. Having ambition is having the desire to want to accomplish your goals no matter how tiny or large they are. To have ambition is to realize that nothing is impossible if you keep trying and I try and fail to get up and continue questioning harder on why things are the way that they are. Lastly, I would say that being patient and having a very deep patience can help a lot in trying to understand this universe. Having patience means that answering your main question and completing your main goal will take lots of hard work, dedication, and time, and you cannot give up or fall on this trip to the top. You cannot decide to fail halfway through on your strive to the end game that you're trying to solve. These are all valid ideas and concepts that I would hope to take on and embody if I would like to continue to work harder to try to better understand myself and others about the vast nature of our universe.

If my 2024 year so far had a soundtrack, some songs off of 1989 (Taylor's Version) would be 'Blank Space', 'Bad Blood', You Are In Love', and lastly my last song on this soundtrack would be 'All You Had To Do Was Stay'. The song 'Blank Space' would be first on my soundtrack for this year because in the song she talks about how she can convince people that she is good and not as 'insane' as everyone puts her to be and says she is. I feel that I resonate with that a lot because of a lot of stereotypes that are put against me. In 'Blank Space' as well she talks about how it could be the picture-perfect 'forever' that everyone talks about or how it could end terribly. Those lyrics could be so much more than just the relationships that she means in her song which is why it has so much meaning and why it means so much to me personally. The next song that would be on this 2024 soundtrack would be 'Bad Blood', as the name says I've had a lot of bad blood with people this year, and just the overall toxic environment at school and outside of school that I and everyone else around me have the deal with in their everyday life. This 'bad blood' can be thought of in many different ways and can be interpreted in different lights. I see it as the toxic and vile hatred that you can have with someone blooming from something that may have happened between you and a person, even if it is one-sided in the end. The third song on this life soundtrack is 'You Are In Love'. As the name suggests this year I found myself in a relationship where there was real love and a feeling that is unlike any other I have ever felt before. Part of this year has been so good because of this and like the song says 'You are in love, true love, you are in love.' These lyrics are truly what me and this person felt during the time that we were together. I think on my soundtrack this would be my favorite song on it. Also as the song says 'You Are In Love' it was my first love which for everyone will always be the strongest and the hardest to get over, like many of Taylor's songs speak about. Finally, the last song on my 2024 soundtrack would be 'All You Had To Do Was Stay'. This is a more depressing song than the one before it because as everything good comes, everything good must leave. Like the song says 'All You Had To Do Was Stay', that is the one thing that my old relationship couldn't do for one reason. I think that can wrap up my 2024 so far in 1989 (Taylor's Version) songs because of how diverse and toxic it started to how I was 'in love' and then ended with sadness. Yes these songs might change and I might even add more to show the depth of how my year has been going further into the year, but as every good year comes every good year must end.

My experience with the form of anxiety known as social anxiety has majorly affected me and my life by keeping me from doing certain things with the fear that I may be judged or thought of differently and not 'accepted' by others if I complete what I want to. This anxiety has deeply affected me in very social or even just events or places that have many people. I have a hard time in social settings because of the fear that people are looking at me and watching my every move to see what I would do. This has stopped me from doing certain sports where you have to perform and even then in those sports, I find it very hard to focus on myself and my improvement from the constant thought and anxious feeling that people are staring, and that messes up me and my thoughts. This anxiety has made me very introverted and shy which keeps me from expanding my knowledge and relationships with other people even if they are as shy or quiet as me. This social anxiety stops me from talking to other people with the fear that they think badly of me. I cannot go one day without stressing in small or large situations that involve people because I cannot present my thoughts out loud to them. My heart starts to speed up and I start to feel very ill if I have to talk to new people I will specifically avoid certain times and situations where this may be present. I will miss the opportunity out on things if it means I can stay quiet and to myself. I will purposely miss occasions and family outings if it means I have to see more new people I haven't spoken to before. Pursuing a college education and degree is highly important to me and my well-being because as a very quiet and shy person education and learning is something I enjoy very much. I have the opportunity to learn new things by reading, and listening to teachers teach during school hours, and even when I'm home I have the time where I love to learn new things. I feel that with my social anxiety and awkwardness, I can focus more on myself and the acceleration of my brain and academics. This is why pursuing a college degree is important to me because then I would get to focus on the important things rather than what others think about me or the opinions of my peers. A college degree and education would have been expanding something that everyone should be able to do and spend their time on because it is far more important and needed than pinning down their social anxiety. I feel that anyone who puts their mind to something should be able to accomplish it without their mind getting in the way. People including myself should all have the opportunity and ability to earn a college degree even though we struggle with something much bigger at hand. These paragraphs have just told you a whole story about how my experience with social anxiety has affected me and what it has been like. It may be just a small look into what it feels like daily but it can tell you all you need to know, about why I feel that pursuing a college degree is highly important to me.

I have chosen my field of interest Criminal Justice and specifically becoming a Criminal Defense Lawyer, because it is something that I feel isn't represented enough in the world and many people don't think about that when thinking about college or something that they would be interested in. I feel that the field of Criminal Justice should be considered more because there are many different options for jobs that you can achieve in this field of study. I would like to create an impact in this career by making the world a safer and better place while also making sure that families and people get the closure and comfort that every person deserves. I would like to make sure that the people who deserve certain things can get those things and make sure they get the justice that they are entitled to. Some personal reasons that I feel that I would make an impact in this field would be my liking that I have with the law and what I find so interesting and intriguing in this field of study. Along with that I also have a vast understanding of what goes on in a courtroom and what takes place. I also enjoy listening to and learning about many different things in the field of Criminal Justice and Forensics. I feel that for those reasons I could make a large impact in the field of Criminal Justice.

My ideal bookshelf inspired by the #BookTok recommendations would have to be 'A Good Girl's Guide To Murder', 'Girl in Pieces', The Summer I Turned Pretty', and lastly 'If He Had Been With Me'. These are all books that I would and have personally read and have been recommended by #BookTok on TikTok. These titles are all must-haves and these books have all impacted the #BookTok community by giving readers of all age demographics different genres of books to read and satisfy their craving for good reads. My favorite book from this selection of #BookTok recommendations would be 'Girl in Pieces'. This book shows the true agony of what a young teenage girl who gets admitted to a mental hospital feels and looks like. The author has many books following this book which are great add-ons to this original book. I feel that this book may be relatable or could relate to many teenagers in today's world which is why the impact it has on #BookTok is very quintessential. The next book 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' is a highly recommended and great book for girls or guys that may enjoy crime obvious by the title of the book, and the thrill of finding out secrets and determining who it may be. Another book from my #BookTok bookshelf would be 'The Summer I Turned Pretty', the cliffhanger at the end of the book shows and gives me and the other readers the suspense that some people crave in books that they can finally get. The love story that brews during the ongoing pages is so very intriguing to certain audiences of readers like me. You can start the feel the characters and can feel yourself become to like or route for certain characters. Finally, the last book that I would have to say would be on my #BookTok recommendations bookshelf would have to be 'If He Had Been With Me'. This book is truly something that I and many others can relate to as growing up can pull you apart and away from things and people that you may have felt differently and had more feelings for beforehand. It talks about friendship and how people had grown apart and as the name suggests what would've happened if the other main character, 'If He Had Been With Me'. The author and characters explain how everything and many more things would have been different and changed for the better and the worse side of things. All four of these books are on my #BookTok recommendations bookshelf. If you haven't already I highly recommend all of these amazing reads.

My favorite aspect of the game Minecraft would have to be the idea of being able to build whatever my heart desires. The number of blocks, sizes, and different items that they add in every update makes it possible to build just about anything in this game. You could build your dream hot pink house out of rare minerals as blocks or even just a wood cabin in the middle of the woods, or maybe you want a tree house in a tree. Anything that you could think of to build in this game you can achieve and do well. There are even places where you can watch how to build certain things if you need advice or something to follow. Building in the game Minecraft resonates with me so deeply because I grew up always wanting to expand my imagination and creativity and this sandbox game is something that helped with that. Where I could explore and find and collect new items and things where I could build anything by myself or with other friends. Whether I shared a world with others or alone I always had fun building certain things and new houses and stables for animals, or even just gardens and mine shafts. This shows building in the game Minecraft has always been my favorite aspect of the game.

Chappell Roan's music has impacted me and my life by giving me something that I can listen to at any time and something that has different lyrics and genres and just different energies in every song where you can listen to cheer you up, make you sad, or even just songs that are relatable. Chappell Roan's music is very impressive and what she makes is truly beautiful. One of my favorite songs by her would have to be 'Casual' because of the meaning behind it. This is a song that you could scream at the top of your lungs driving in a car, it is truly a masterpiece. In the song, Chappell Roan talks about how the love that she had for someone was not reciprocated back to her on the same level as she showed for the person. Which is truly a painful experience that a lot of people could and can relate to in every way. You can hear in the lyrics and in her voice the pain that she is trying to convince the listener to think about or feel as well as her. I support Chappell Roan's career in everything that she pursues including her music because I feel that she brings something different to the table in the music industry that sounds different and gives different feelings than most other normal songs where it's repetitive or talking about subjects where it isn't as important as something Chappell Roan sings or writes about. I feel that she is one of the most influential newer music artists with her work and what she does. She is very talented and I feel that she deserves all of the appreciation and fans that she has for her music career and anything else that she does because truly she is someone that people can and could look up to in their future and much more.

One lyric from Olivia Rodrigo's 'GUTS' studio album that I would say resonates with my own teenage experience would have to be from the song 'Pretty Isn't Pretty'. The first lyric I would say resonates with me from this song is that "There's always somethin' in the mirror that I think looks wrong". These lyrics are very sincere to me because as a teenage girl, I struggle a lot with my appearance and comparing myself and my looks to other girls around me. There is a stigma that all girls are supposed to be put together in a sense and stick to the book with everything that they do. Girls' looks are very judged by everyone even themselves. Sometimes when I look in the mirror I just feel that something isn't the way it's supposed to look and try to change myself by any means possible. Some girls feel that everything they try to do will never help with the fact of how they look. Some girls even shame themselves for how they feel about themselves and that they shouldn't be feeling how they feel, and how they look. More lyrics that have resonated with me in this song 'Pretty Isn't Pretty' would be, "'Cause pretty isn't pretty enough anyways." These additional lyrics tell a huge story with lots of details and trying to say that even though some girls including myself may think that some days they feel or look pretty but it will never be enough to satisfy other people. Every day I struggle with how much my actions and looks affect the lives of other people when I shouldn't because no person can simply impress or satisfy the whole world. I feel that these lyrics should be discussed more because of how much of an impact they have on so many girls all over the world including myself. I feel so much pain from these lyrics because I relate to them so much and I try so hard to impress other people and make myself someone else that I am not to seem better than other people. It's like a mask that I wear of makeup and different mannerisms to make myself fit in. Sometimes I do realize that I should do my makeup and 'look pretty' for myself because I cannot fulfill everyone's wishes about what I should do or look like to them. Both of these lines of lyrics in the song 'Pretty Isn't Pretty' capture the essence of young teenage girls and adolescence and the challenges that come with it, is that as kids grow up they think about how they have to change to fit the world 'standards' of what you 'should' and 'shouldn't' look like or how you 'should' and 'shouldn't' act. This creates a mindset in young girls' minds that they need to be a certain way or to look a certain way. Teenage girls will go the extra mile to try to achieve these 'goals' to please the public, even if that means harming themselves or drastically changing parts of themselves. This large at-hand challenge of 'fitting in' and trying to be a carbon copy of what the 'perfect' girl is causes lots of harm and could lead to more than just that. I do feel that these lyrics capture what it is like growing up in a world where girls are frowned upon if they are 'weird' or 'different' and that speaks to me. These lyrics in this song just show some of what I feel about the subject.

My favorite athlete to cheer for on Team USA would have to be Amber Glenn on the USA Figure Skating team. I think that she is one of the if-not the best most underrated figure skater on Team USA. She gets greatly underestimated because of some of her falls or her placements in different competitions. But she shows the true meaning of perseverance when she can trip or fall at the beginning of her programs and throughout she skates even harder than she was before. Even if she doesn't place in the best spot or on the podium, she still shows that mistakes make you stronger and that you can heal from anything by getting up and trying again. I think that is very important in anything that you do whether it has to do with sports or otherwise. As well as her programs are creatively designed and beautifully choreographed by her and her coaches to emphasize her strong suits while adding other artistic elements in between. She adds a lot to a competition with her strong mental mindset and everything else that she has behind her that makes her one of my favorite skaters and athletes. She is proof that you can do anything and do it better every time you practice more. I feel that she improves and learns from her past mistakes at every advancing level and competition that she does. Amber Glenn is one of the most artistically advanced figure skaters around, she has very graceful and delicate motions and she skates with purpose in every program. Those are some of the reasons why Amber Glenn is my favorite athlete to cheer for on Team USA.